Dear Doily

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

For the first time I am participating in Kylie’s International Blog Highlights and you get to VOTE for your favorite projects. The top ten winners will get to be part of an International Blog Hop….. so please VOTE for my project.

You can do that here by using this Link…..

http://bit.ly/Feb2019KyliesHighlightsVoteForMe

The theme for the month of February is – Encouragement

For this card I used the Dear Doily Bundle 150616 from the Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalogue. The Dear Doily Stamps are one of the New Cling Stamps which ‘CLING’ to your acrylic block and they really do stick….. Make sure you check out the video on YouTube by Stampin’ Up! on the use and care of the ‘Cling’ stamps.

TIP: put a small piece of Washi Tape on one edge/ corner of the stamp to help peal it off the block or out of the case.

I have made a short video showing how I made this card….From a simple way of doing the watercolour wash on the card front, using 3 Re-Inkers and Glad-wrap – So Saffron, Mango Melody and Flirty Flamingo. The use of the Stamparatus for the stamping.of the sentiments and the flowers. The large Doily Builder Thinlit used without the out side edge to make a window in card front.

Video Link…..

Thanks for visiting my blog today…..

Remember, Please vote for my project. I would love to be chosen to do an International Blog Hop. Click on the Button Below.

All products used are listed below and are Linked to my On-Line Store. If you have any question please contact me.

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl – Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.

Forever Lovely….GDP#174

WOW!……It’s another week….and February already, the first month of 2019 has gone. Christmas and New Year has been packed away and now we are looking toward the next ‘Event’ on the calendar.

Valentines Day – a day where we celebrate those we love whether that is Husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends or family and friends. Its those that we keep close in our hearts, those we want to tell “You are special to me!”

Stampin’ Up! have released in the Occasions Catalogue a beautiful Suite that celebrates ‘LOVE’. I used it last week in the Global Design Project Challenge and I can’t get enough of it. So I’m using it again….‘All My Love’

The card I have made is not a ‘Valentines Day Card’…but I made it in mind for a couple getting married or engaged..

Global Design Project 174 – Sketch Challenge

GDP#174- Sketch Challenge has given us another wonderful sketch to use…if you pop over to their Blog you will find some amazing projects using this sketch. Here’s the LINK to make it easy for you to find..

How was my card made….

Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper (DSP) used on this card is part of the ‘All My Love Suite’ which includes the Forever Lovely stamp/bundle and its called ‘All My Love’. The colours that co-ordinate with the DSP are..Balmy Blue, Crumb Cake, Lovely Lipstick, Flirty Flamingo, Soft Sea Foam and Whisper White. I think I have managed to use all of these in my card.

The flowers were stamped in Flirty Flamingo and the leaves in Soft sea Foam.

Tip 1:

Make sure your ink pad is not too juicy…..I had to used the back of a spoon to push down the ink. These stamps are part of the Distinctive Stamp range which means that you are able to stamp with one colour but because of the texture of the stamp its self you get different tones of that colour. Example you will see on my card some leaves are dark and others are lighter – one colour, one stamp.

The DSP used has loose outlines of the flower and leaves done in white. I would have loved to be able to White Emboss the same on my card…but the are distinctive stamps and its only one stamp…

Tip 2:

So I used a white gel pen to out line my flowers. Before the flowers looked too heavy now the white just pulls it all together. I found it easier to also stamp these images with the Stamparutus.

My sentiments I used comes from the ‘First Frost’ stamps from the 2018 Holiday Catalogue and its one of the carry-over products…“YAY!”  you can still purchase it. The small scalloped edge is from the Delightfully Detailed Laser-cut Specialty Paper.

Thank you for visiting my Blog.

All the products I have used will be listed below my Blog and is linked back to my On-Line Store to make it easier for you to purchase…if you Live in Australia!.

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl – Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.


Occasion and Sale-A-Bration Catalogue…. LIVE!

They are LIVE ….. If you don’t have a catalogue in your hands right now….

Then here is the next best thing….the LINKS

❤️ Spend $90 (*before Shipping and handling) from either Annual or Occasions Catalogue and choose a FREE item from Sale-A-Bration as indicated in the SAB Catalogue on Page 2

❤️Host a Party for you and your Friends and there are extra rewards ..More information on Page 3 of the SAB

❤️ Join NOW and you have 2 joining Options to choose from…so check it out on Page 4 of SAB

Lovely Lattice, a little note…..

Lovely Lattice, a little note….by Stampin’ Up!

Lovely Lattice 149730 by Stampin’ Up! has a charm to it with that slight vintage feel with the lattice behind the flowers. As soon as I saw it I had to have it because it screamed “Colour me!”.

 If you love to colour then this is a must to have. You could colour with Blends, Watercolour pencils or with re-inkers and your Aqua pen. There are no fonts in this set but I don’t you will have any trouble finding one that will work well with it.

This beautiful stamp is one you can earn for FREE when you spend $90 in the Sale-A-Bration Catalogue by Stampin’ Up!

Lovely Lattice is one of the new ‘Cling-Stamps’ by Stampin’ Up! The adhesive image label now ‘Clings’ and I mean ‘Cling’.

Here is a fun video telling you about our ‘Cling-Stamps’

What did I use on this card…

The image and sentiment are stamped with Memento Ink and coloured with Stampin’ Up! Blends. The sentiment ‘ a little note’ comes from the Butterfly Gala 148580 in the Occasional Catalogue.

The Blends used are…

Pink Pirouette (Retired)

Flirty Flamingo Combo 147278

Old Olive Combo 144597

Daffodil Delight Combo 144603

Pool Party Combo 144605

Mossy Meadow Dark 148546 **

Balmy Blue Light 148540 **

Cardstock used….

Whisper White 106549

Blushing Bride 131287

Balmy Blue 147007

** These products will be released in the 2019 Occasions Catalogue…for your copy of this catalogue along with the Sale-A-Brations Catalogue, contact me.

Thank you for reading my Blog post today. All of the products used are listed below and linked back to my On-Line Store.

 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl – Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.
 

Why two Black Ink Pads?

Why are there two Black ink pads, is one better than the other?

Good question and I know that many of you who are new to stamping are asking  this question.

The two Black Stamp pads that Stampin’ Up! retail are StazOn Jet Black and Memento Tuxedo. Both are very different and are used for different techniques.

 

Let’s start with Stazon Jet Black 101406 and Refill 102566 this is a permanent archival ink, and is for stamping images which are coloured using watercolour techniques.

   

StazOn can be used on many different surfaces such as..Plastic, metal, shrink plastic, rubber, leather, polymer clay, laminated paper, coated paper, uncoated paper, photo, glass, porcelain, terracotta, cellophane.and works well on the Stampin’ Up! Window sheets…I always recommend doing a test before using on anything new.

The drying time when using Stazon is 3 seconds for porous surfaces – 5 minutes  for non porous surfaces. Drying time varies based on surface / material, humidity, etc.

Stazon is a ‘Solvent Ink’ which means it is not made from a water base. Solvent inks are permanent and don’t require heat setting to achieve permanency. Most solvent inks are acid-free and archival. 

Hints and Tips…

  • Replace inner plastic cover and cover immediately after use. Exposure to air will cause the ink in the pad to dry out. I put a Glue dot on the lid to hold the inner plastic in place so I don’t get inky fingers when taking it on and off.
  • Clean stamps immediately after use with StazOn Cleaner 109196. It can stain your stamps. StazOn cleaner is not recommended to use on your Photopolymer stamps as it may damage the polymer. Clean your Photopolymer with Stampin’ Mist Stamp Cleaner 102394 the stazOn will stain the stamp…but its still usable.

 

So what about the Memento Tuxedo Black 132708 and Refill 133456. Memento is a water-based, acid free ink and fade-resistant.

Memento Ink is required when using Stampin’ Blends. It is also a good general ink pad for all other stamping as you will get a good clear image.

  

It can be used on coated paper, vellum, uncoated paper, printer paper. As before I always recommend doing a test before using on anything new.

Drying time is 3 to 5 seconds on coated paper. Virtually instant on uncoated papers. Varies based on surface / material, humidity, etc.

Memento is easy to clean from your stamps using the Stampin Scrub 126200 and Stampin’ Mist Stamp Cleaner 102394 or with the NEW Simply Shammy 147042

 

So back to our question –

Why two Black Stamp pads?

There are two Black stamp pads because they are for two separate techniques..Watercolour and Alcohol markers-Blends.

Its a case of opposites attract….

Watercolour + StazOn (Solvent ink)

Stampin’ Blends (Alcohol Markers) + Memento (waterbase)

Is one better than the other?

This is a very simple answer I think….NO.

Sometimes when someone says they like one over the other its a personal preference. Yes they look different but that’s because they are too different inks and have two very different qualities.

Should you buy both, again simple answer …YES.

Especially if you want to do both watercolour and use the Stampin’ Blends

 

Please note that some of the information obtained above comes from the manufacturer and other web pages.

Thanks for taking the time to read my Blog post. I hope this helps you when deciding on what Black Ink you require when going through your Stampin’ Up! Catalogue. If you have any questions just leave me a message below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

 

 

 

 

 

Where am I and what am I doing?

Where am I and what am I doing?

This week I have been taking part in the Southern Highlands Tulip Time Artisan Expo at Bowral Baptist Church, which is part of the Art Studio Trail.

The Expo is on for 10 days excluding Sundays…its a wonderful time to be in the Highlands.

Tulip Time is an annual event and we have visitors from all over NSW and overseas. On Saturday there were Street Parades and special events happening in the Gardens.

Here is my space all set up and ready to go…….I spent Saturday showing people how I do my watercolouring and displaying the Stamparatus, letting them make a card..

This week I will finish it and put on display…

And this is what Tulip Time is all about…..Corbett Gardens and the Tulips….next week the garden should be beautiful as we are still having some cool days and they haven’t all flowered as yet

Thanks for taking the time to read my Blog ….hope you have enjoyed seeing where I have been and what I am doing.

Animal Outing

Animal Outing by Stampin’ Up!

This was a fun class using the Animal Outing Suite, Animal Outing stamps 146600 (Clear) and Animal Expedition Designer Series Paper 146902.

You can purchase this as a Bundle with the Thinlits – Animal Outing Bundle 148232 (wood) or 148324 (Clear)

The colours are bright and fun and it suites all ages…Yes adults too!

Card in a Box

All the animals were coloured using Stampin’ Up! Blends and fussy cut leaving a 1″ tab on the bottom to attach to the box except for the Giraffe, we lengthen his neck so he could be sat up high above the others. You could use the Thinlits to cut these out but you would need to add a tab on the back so you can attach the animals to the box. The branches are from Petals & More Thinits 145655 and cut from Shaded Spruce cardstock and you will need 4 of these.

How to make the box…

  • Lemon Lime Twist cardstock – 9″ x 6″,  Two x 1â…›” x 3â…› “
  • Berry Burst cardstock –  Four x 2″ x 2â…ť “, Three x 2″ x 3â…›”, 2″ x 5â…ž”
  • Whisper White cardstock – 1â…ž” x 5Âľ”
  • Designer Series Paper (DSP) Lemon Lime Twist – Four x 1â…ž” x 2½”
  • Designer Series Paper (DSP)  Birds – Three x 1â…ž” x 3″

Score the 9″ x 6″ piece of Lemon Lime Twist cardstock along the 9″ side at 2â…›”, 4ÂĽ”, 6â…ś” and 8½”. Turn the cardstock so that the 6″ is along the top and score at 2Âľ”

Score the 2 smaller pieces of Lemon Lime Twist along the 3â…› side at ½” & 2â…ť”.

Use scissors to cut along all score lines stopping at the horizontal score line. Remove the top thin tab and angle the top and bottom of the longer thin tab.(as shown below)

Fold along all the parallel score lines, adhere a stripe to Tear’n’tape along the tab and adhere the sides together to form a box. With the join at the back of your box fold down the front and two sides leaving the back up.

With the two smaller pieces of Lemon Lime Twist cardstock fold along score lines to form a ‘Z’ shape and with Multi-purpose Glue adhere into the top of the box running parallel to the back and front of the box  as shown below. Making sure they are equally spaced.

Now with the box complete it is time to decorate…

The three pieces of Berry Burst cardstock and coordinating – Birds DSP are adhered together and attached to the lower panels of the box. The four Berry Burst panels and coordinating – Lemon Lime Twist DSP are adhered together and attached to the top sides of the folded panels and the inside back panel of the box.

The large piece of Whisper White cardstock is adhered to the large piece of Berry burst and then attached to the back of the box, giving you a panel to write on.

Now its just a matter of decorating with the animals and branches, making sure that when you flatten the box you are keeping close to the boundaries of the box so that it can fit inside an envelope..

 

Jig-Saw Card

This card is very simple…..

Card base – Crumb Cake Cardstock 8ÂĽ” x 5Âľ” , scored 4â…›

Mat – Pool Party 4″ x 5½”, scrap for banner approx ½” wide  x 1Âľ”

Designer Series Paper 3Âľ” x 5ÂĽ”

Whisper White cardstock large enough for the kangaroo

Adhere the DSP to the Pool Party Mat making sure there is an all over coverage of glue. As you don’t want the jig-saw pieces to come apart when cut. Place the Puzzle Pieces Thinlits 146830 on top of the adhered mat with approx ÂĽ” around 3 sides and run through the Big Shot 143263. Place the jig-saw pieces into a cellophane bag to go inside the card for the recipient.

Attach the mat to the front of the crumb Cake card base.

Stamp the kangaroo image onto the piece of Whisper White Cardstock using Momento Ink and colour using Stampin’ Up! Blends. Either fussy cut or use the coordinating Thinlits. Stamp your sentiment onto the banner and flag the right side of the banner. Adhere to the card. Use dimensionals on the back of the kangaroo making sure not to put any on his head as this will be sitting over the jig-saw area of the card.

 

Alligator Card

I will let you work this simple card out…my only suggestion is the sentiment does not need to go where I have put it. It will depend on your Designer Series Paper, I didn’t want to cover up the heads to much and when I cut out the panels on some I have more tails than heads. So just put the sentiment where it looks best.

 

Thanks for taking time to read my Blog post as I know this has turned out to be a long one, sorry about that….Below you will find links to all the products used at my On-line Store.

 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl – Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.

Candice’s Card….

Candice’s Card using Product by Stampin’ Up!

I have been so excited as a beautiful dear friend got married…and she was a beautiful bride. I have known her now for about 12 years, we meet through Scout’s. We were both Joey Scout Leaders and became good friends and we still are…..Candice now attends my card making classes and I love having here there.

Well I have to make a special card for her and her husband, Damian.

So now that the big day has been and gone I can now share it with you all.

I love this Designer Series Paper (DSP)… Petal Promenade 146913…I also used it a few weeks ago when I made the Post-it Note Holders.

Its called a “Photographic design paper” , so what does that mean?

The way they create this paper is by using photos of an object in this case an arrangement of flowers. They don’t need to purchase large quantities of flowers, they take a photo then with the help of the computer they are able to copy and manipulate the image until it is the size they require. Its amazing how they are able to do this.

I have made the Designer Series paper the focal point of the card and matted it with a piece of Tranquil Tide cardstock and then adhered to the card from of Fresh Fig Cardstock.

The only stamping is a sentiment from Floral Phrases141767 by Stampin’ Up! and stamped onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock using Fresh Fig Ink. This was then adhered to a piece of Fresh Fig cardstock both of which was cut with two of the smaller Layering Oval Framelits 141706. Using a leaf framelit from Petals & More Thinlits145655, I cut 2 leaves in each cardstock – Fresh Fig, Vellum 106584 and Gold Foil Sheet 132622. each of the 3 leaves were glued together and glued to from of the card. The sentiments was attached using Dimensionals, to give some height.

See simple…Now for the inside of the card.

I found the most perfect verse to put inside the card..so using my printer I printed it onto some Whisper White cardstock and using the RGB codes was able to match the ink colour to Fresh Fig.

Using the Detailed Trio Punch 146320 I curved the corners of the cardstock and I just had to use the beautiful floral DSP again on the inside of the card. It just makes the verse stand out…

The hero of this beautiful card is the Designer Series Paper (DSP)- Petal Promenade.

Thank you for reading today’s Blog post..I hope you have enjoyed this card as I much as I enjoyed making it for my beautiful friend Candice and her husband Damian…

If you have any questions please just contact me, all the products used will be listed below with links to my On-line Store at Stampin’ Up!

 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl – Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.

August Class – Stampin’ Up! Blends

 The August class we looked at the Stampin’ Up! Blends and how to use them.

These high-quality, alcohol-based, dual-tip markers come in many of our exclusive Stampin’ Up! colours. Each colour comes in 2 shades to give you the best blending experience out there..You can purchase these as Singles or as Combo Pack…see page 205 Annual Catalogue

Here are some tips on how I like to use Blends-

  • ONLY use Momento Ink 132708
  • Smooth surface cardstock is best to use such as Stampin’ Up! Whisper White Cardstock
  • Have a layer of scrap paper under your work as it is normal for the colour to bleed through the cardstock – you want this to happen (see following 2 points)
  • Work on small areas at a time, this allows the ink to stay moist while you work and helps the colours to blend
  • Apply the lighter colour using small circles to saturate the paper, this will help the colour to blend together.
  • Apply the darker shade of color, you can use a tick or flick like motion. Start the tick /flick from where you want it to be darkest and it will become lighter at the tip. Or you can just colour in where you want your shading to go.
  • Go over the areas where you want the two shades to blend with the lighter colour but take care to not add to much light colour to where you want it to be darkest as it may also lighten those areas.
  • Have fun and try mixing the colours like the yellow to pinks, just make sure you clean on the nibs on scrap paper.

The first card we made used the Butterfly from Beautiful Day Stamp set 145915 (clear) 145912 (wood)

We started to make this card using only the 1 colour (Light and Dark) but everyone was enjoying using the blends so much they wanted to add more colour

and who am I to stop them…its all about being creative, Right!

So we ended up with this…..the colours I used are Calypso Coral Combo 144045 and Daffodill Delight Combo 144603

The following two card we used the Blended Season stamps from the “Colour your Season” Limited -Time Bundle Only Available until 31 August or while stocks last.

This bundle comes with Blended Seasons stamp set and Stitched seasons Framelits – Wood-mount 149893 / Clear-mount 149894

Along with this bundle you can purchase Watercolour Pencils Ass 2 149014 (these are not part of the bundle price)

                                                                                  

 

The colour Combos used are  Granny Apple Green 147274 & Real Red (Available next month in the Holiday Catalogue)

The colour Combos used Highland Heather 147276, Old Olive 144597 & Daffodil Delight 144603

There are lots of great videos out there on how to use Blends and I have added here one by Stampin’ Up! here…

Thank you for reading my post…if you have any questions please contact me. All the product used will be listed below with links to my On-Line Store (Australia Only)

 

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl – Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.Sta